The Unarchiver is the archive utility Apple forgot to bundle with OS X.

Opening an archived file on the Mac is normally as simple as double-clicking it. Except when it isn't. Although Apple makes opening zipped files a cinch, users may find themselves stymied by other popular compression formats. Enter Dag Ågren's The Unarchiver (Free). With support for more than four-dozen popular—and unpopular—file formats, The Unarchiver opens Stuffit archives, executable files, and RAR containers with ease. As with Apple's built-in archive utility, The Unarchiver's interface is invisible: simply double-click a file and The Unarchiver does the rest.

Certainly, simplicity carries its compromises. Do not expect to preview what The Unarchiver extracts. And if you are looking to create your own archives, you will need an archiver such as the venerable Stuffit Deluxe, which will cost you a cool $49.99. However, if you simply want to improve your Mac's data dexterity, The Unarchiver can invisibly add that functionality for nothing.

The Particulars Installing The Unarchiver is as simple as downloading it from the Mac App Store. If you have not upgraded to the latest version of OS X, have no fear: the utility supports older systems, including betas of OS X. (Source code is even available via Google Code.) Upon first launch, The Unarchiver will ask you whether you want it to extract archives to the same folder, a selection you can confirm, or specify on a case-by-case basis.

The Unarchiver features three preference panes, under one of them, Archive Formats, you can specify which archives you want the utility to automatically open. The utility really does live up to its name; if you can conceive of the format, The Unarchiver can open it—from Amigas to Zips. With the Extraction pane, you can stipulate where files are extracted and what you want to do with the original archives. For example, I specified that I wanted all archives trashed and all extracted files saved to a folder in DropBox.

The Experience I tested The Unarchiver using a half-dozen popular file types, including several Windows archives (.exe), several Mac archives (.rar), and a couple of zip files (.zip). Not only did The Unarchiver extract all the files, it did so with alacrity. The Unarchiver is just as fast as Apple's built-in utility, only more capable.

Two limitations, however, give me pause. First, The Unarchiver, as suggested by its name, only works in one direction. If you want to archive a file for a colleague, you will be constrained to Apple's built-in compression support (.zip), unless you download another archival utility. Second, the speed of the extraction belies the dangers of opening Web content. While I do not suspect that my friends will send me RAR-packed viruses, I am concerned about opening archives from the Web. To this end, I wish that The Unarchiver allowed you to preview archives without opening them.

Invisible Simplicity If you are concerned about previewing files before extracting them, Dag Ågren does offer a premium version of the utility called The Archive Browser, for $3.99. I think $4 is a small price to pay for the extra information. That said, one of the virtues of The Unarchiver is its simplicity. The Unarchiver is practically invisible, and yet it makes your Mac demonstrably more capable. Match that invisibility with effortless installation, regular updates, and an irresistible price point (free!), and you have an Editors' Choice for Mac utilities. Download it today and forget about the archival incompatibilities of tomorrow.

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About the Author

As a contributing editor, William Fenton specializes in research and education software. In addition to his role at PCMag.com, William is also a Teaching Fellow and Director of the Writing Center at Fordham University Lincoln Center. To learn more about his research interests, visit his homepage or follow him on Academia.edu, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

The Unarchiver (for Mac)

The Unarchiver (for Mac)

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